Ultimania Omega, Cloud’s Profile

That seems to imply something special about their connection and how he is only freely laughing around Aerith, right? Seems even romantic or at least intimate in some fashion.

However, the Ultimania that comes out a few years later mentions this scene as well and it brings a whole new light to it.

Final Fantasy 10th Anniversary Ultimania - Cloud’s Profile, Page 041, Top Half

The section in question is this one, talking about Aerith:

For simplicity, here is a fan who translated the French 10th Ultimania and the JP as well: French: 

(https://twitter.com/manuelaellela/status/1480947495530381312)

Japanese: 

(https://twitter.com/smolbiggs/status/1480950469941936136)

This ties Cloud’s laughing directly to Jenova’s control, and it is not left as a question but a statement.

Notice that caption at the bottom talking about Advent Children. That photo is the one you see above but I’ll repost here as well for a closer look:

That shot is RIGHT after the scene where Cloud and Tifa look into each other’s eyes and smile at one another. This is while the song Cloud Smiles is playing. If you aren’t sure what the song is about, Nobuo Uematsu said it was something special about Cloud smiling b/c it was uncommon, it was a special moment. Here is part of his statement from the video below, starts at 29:05:

(https://youtu.be/tC8D3PJfBu4?t=1745)

Notice who is playing behind his head the entire time, by the way?

It is worth watching his whole statement, but this part is striking. He explicitly mentions reading the script when he came across the line “Cloud smiles” and thus was the inspiration for his song.

Now, this is the English script. Only twice during this entire scene where Cloud Smiles is playing, is it referenced that Cloud smiles; BOTH are at Tifa. There is no other line about him smiling during the song playing.

So in the 10th anniversary Ultimania, they are juxtaposing Cloud’s seemingly free laughing with Aerith and having a jovial moment with Cloud smiling at Tifa. Read again what they say here:

They are saying the time Cloud genuinely smiles is at Tifa, thus saying the one he has with Aerith when he’s under Jenova’s control is forced and fake.

Why go through all of this? Two reasons:

1) Further evidence is they actually retconned this greatly. Cloud gives an audible tiny chuckle but he doesn’t full on laugh with Aerith, it’s been taken out. In fact, it was taken out and given to Jessie and Avalanche. In Chapter 4 when Wedge is injured, they begin laughing about his ass injury and Cloud gives a big laugh and smile, VERY out of character for him. I can’t say it’s due to Jenova but considering all of the Clerith and Clessie parallels, and many elements of Aerith being given to Jessie to help get rid of a lot of the LTD elements, seems like a hell of a coincidence.

2) It is further evidence to what I always say about Cloud and Aerith and why the potential relationship aspect was an illusion, a red herring.

Cloud was heavily under Jenova’s spell the entire time he knew her. There are a dozen quotes about it throughout the Ultimanias and dev interviews showing this to be the case. If someone is not himself the entire time he knew her and his true self was suppressed, any fleeting feelings he MAY (since romantic feelings are never confirmed one way or the other) have had for her are just that, and between that and his connection to Zack, they become irrelevant IMO.

He comes to care for his whole team and he cherishes those memories, but I agree with DutchDread. He may have had some passing attraction to Aerith; he’s a man, she’s pretty, she’s showing him all kinds of attention. It is very flattering.

However, Tifa was always the person he’s been his true self with, and always the one he’s loved.